A group of three Nordic companies, Nimbnet (a Swedish charging station operator), Kempower (Finnish charging hardware manufacturer), and Virta (Finnish charging infrastructure service provider), plan to create a nationwide fast-charging network for electric trucks in Sweden to support the 85,000 heavy trucks currently on the road.
Funding for the project will come from the Swedish energy agency Energimyndigheten and the first truck charging stations will be located in Gothenburg, Söderhamn, Sundsvall, and Nordmaling, with plans to have them operational by the end of 2023. The number of chargers to be installed has not been announced yet.
The charging columns for the network will be manufactured by Kempower with a maximum power output of 350 kW, capable of supplying both trucks and cars through CCS connections. They will be operated by Nimbnet, who will also provide a reservation system to help truck operators plan efficient delivery routes. Nimbnet plans to address any geographic gaps in the network and encourages municipalities to contact them with proposals for under-served locations.
The charging stations for trucks will be designed to accommodate even the longest heavy trucks, unlike typical HPC charging stations for cars. Kempower’s technology allows for a narrow unit to be built at the parking space, while the majority of the technology is located in control cabinets.
At Nimbnet’s stations, truck drivers will be able to initiate and complete the charging process through the Virta Mobile app, RFID tags and cards, credit cards, or even Plug&Charge-compatible vehicles.
“Heavy trucks contribute a quarter of all road transport CO2 emissions and are key to tackling climate change. As all the major truck manufacturers are quickly electrifying their fleets and 56 per cent of all heavy trucks travel less than 250 kilometers each day, range is no longer the issue it once was,” said Torbjörn Nordling, Project Supervisor at Nimbnet. “Most heavy trucks could be replaced with electric ones, but the current charging infrastructure does not yet serve their needs. Nimbnet’s Virta-powered network is designed with their needs in mind from the very beginning”
New network for electric trucks and cars will have flexible pricing based on the Nord Pool electricity market and will regulate the price according to the grid load in each area to reduce strain on local grids. Drivers will be able to find lower prices in areas with less strain through an app.
Additionally, Oslo has launched a grant scheme to support the installation of charging stations for electric trucks and buses in the city, with the first round of funding covering up to 80% of the costs for 28 new fast-charging stations.
